Wait till your father gets home............yes or no

Wait till your father gets home............yes or no

Today let's talk a little about punishment of children, on many tv shows when I was growing up you would usually hear the mother say the words “ wait till your father gets home”...............

These are words I never heard my mum say, if we were naughty she dealt with it, if we had to wait till dad got home we could have been waiting a few days, so mum thought it was better to deal with the issue when it happened.

Maybe this is why when my girls were little if they misbehaved I dealt with it, although Kathy has said she remembers me saying it but she is wrong. What I did say often when the girls were not paying attention to me was “either I can deal with this now or you can wait till dad gets home and let him deal with it”.

Of course with those options they would chose to let me deal with the issue because I didn't go off my head like Tim would. I also would tell Tim about any issues when he got home and I would tell him that I had deal with it, sometimes he thought I was too soft and want to add more punishment but I would say that is undermining me and that would also piss me off when he would try and do it.

If the issue was a serious one I might say to the girls that I would have discuss with dad their punishment, this they didn't like because Tim would go overboard in my opinion. Many times he would want to throw things in the bin because they wouldn't clean their room, this I thought was overboard because if we tossed it we would only have to replace the items at a later date. I would confiscate things and they would have to earn them back.

On many occasions I would tell Tim his punishment didn't match the crime, if fact I often said he was acting like they committed armed robbery when in fact they just didn't pay for a lollipop but things are wrong both things are theft but you don't toss someone in goal for pinching a lollipop. It any of that makes sense, it often didn't to Tim.

Did I smack my girls, yes I did a firm smack on the bum wasn't and isn't abuse, also Kathy had a habit of kicking the bedroom wall when sent to her room and I would go in and smack her legs, once I didn't hoping she would calm down and stop and she ended up kicking a hole in the wall, which made things worse when Tim found out.

The end is near

Well here we are at the end of 2017 only a day and a half till it is 2018, today is in some ways cooler then the last few days but it is really muggy due to the light rain we have had this morning. I don't have the air con on as I know Tim will say there is no need for it to be on, if he was at work I would have it on but I will cope somehow.

I woke up with a headache this morning, well in fact I had it from around 9pm last night and yes I have taken something for it but I still have it .

Tim and I went out to Kmart this morning, I wanted another clothes hoist as when I do my laundry lately I prefer to hang the clothes on a clothes hoist instead of going outside and hanging it on the line, as hanging clothes on the line outside causes me a lot of pain but I do not like the idea of using a clothes dryer when the weather is good.

I also wanted some skin care items and some new ¾ pants, Tim of course had to say “don't you have enough of those things” if I had enough I wouldn't want more. I have 3 pairs of ¾ pants that have holes in them which is why I wanted new pants.

Also asked Tim to get some strong pain-relief tablets when he went to the chemist as from the 1^st January you will need a script to get them I got some yesterday showing my licence and told Tim to get some showing his licence but what he got was cold and flu tablets, oh well he tried. He was surprised when they asked to see his licence, even though I had explained about showing his licence to him a couple of times and how we will now need to get a script but of course he doesn't listen.

While at Kmart I found an item mum & dad have been looking for so I bought it for them, Tim of course was why are you getting that, I told him it was for mum and I know if I ask mum or dad will give me the $8 back but I don't need the money back I bought it because I wanted to. Also I had a $50 gift card for Kmart so not like Tim had to give me money for the stuff I bought.

Tomorrow night I will have Leo here as his mum is working New Years Day and will have to be up early, so just easier for all if he is here from tomorrow night, I may also have him New Years Day night depending on when his mum will get home that day. She is taking some people down to the Domain in Sydney, she always said she wouldn't do trips to Sydney but it is worth a couple of hundred dollars and she wants money for our holiday to Queensland in January.  

My Christmas

Well Christmas is done and dusted for another year did everyone have a good day, I hope so..........

Christmas for me was pretty good, Christmas morning saw me up at 7.50am, Tim was already at work so I was alone, around 10ish I packed the car with gifts and went to my parents place for lunch.

It was a quiet Christmas lunch with only 6 of us there for lunch, although many people called in to see mum & dad or should that read nan & pop any way it was around 11ish when all the visitors had left and we could start preparing lunch.

I left and came home around 1.30pm and felt exhausted so decided to have a bath before having a lay down.

When Tim got home at around 7.30pm we exchanged gifts and then I went to bed as Boxing Day was going to be a big day and it was.

I had all the girls and grandchildren here for lunch yesterday (Boxing Day), I did a full baked lunch Kathy-Lee and Natasha helped me with the cooking which was nice and a big help.

I did get a lot of nice presents and felt loved and appreciated by all my family.

Merry Christmas or Xmas

Are you a Christmas or Xmas person for many years I would only write Christmas because I was under the impression that Xmas was in someway wrong but a couple of years ago someone told me different and so I did a Google search and found out the origins of the word Xmas.

So for those of you who do not know what the word Xmas means and like me just thought it was a lazy persons way of writing Christmas here is what Google says about the word.

The “X” comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Xpiotoc, which in English is “Christ” and the “mas” part is from the Latin-derived Old English word for Mass.

In the 1948 Vogue's Book of etiquette it said that the word “Xmas” should never be used in greeting cards. The Cambridge Guide to Australian English Usage states that the spelling should be considered informal and restricted to contexts where concision is valued, such as headlines and greeting cards. The Christian Writer's Manual of Style acknowledges the ancient and respectful use of Xmas in the past but states that the spelling should never be used in formal writing.

The word Xmas dates back to the 1700's it was included in a book by Bernard Ward in 1755, it was also found in a letter from George Woodward in 1753.

Let's jump forward a bit to the 1800's the word was used by Lord Byron in 1811 and by Lewis Carroll in 1864. In the United States, the fifth American edition of the Royal Standard English Dictionary published in 1800 included a list of common abbreviations and the word “Xmas” was included.

Since the late 1900's the word “Xmas” has been used in a lot in advertisements, headlines and banners and of course can be found on Christmas Cards. Merriam-Webster's dictionary feel that it's association with commerce has done nothing for its reputation.

In 1977 New Hampshire Governor Meldrim Thomson sent out a press release saying he wanted journalists to keep the “Christ” in Christmas and not call it Xmas, which he called a pagan spelling of Christmas.

I am still a Christmas person but no longer get all pissy over the word Xmas, but, however, you spell it I wish you a wonderful and Merry Christmas filled with love and presents..............

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM JO-ANNE & TIM

Not so hot but oh so tired

Good afternoon everyone, a much cooler day today, with temps in the mid 20's after a few days of stinking hot weather, yesterday it was 44°c here.

This morning I slept in till around 9am and as soon as I got up I got dressed and went to the shops before Tim had to go to work so now I have a quiet peaceful afternoon ahead of me. Had to get a few more gift bags and a couple of more presents.

Tomorrow I will have to set my alarm so I can be up dressed and out of the house by 8am as tomorrow is Friday and going to be a long and busy morning/day.

I have no motivation to do anything today but when I got home I found Natasha had brought over her laundry for me to do she said she will pick it up tomorrow.

Wrapping Done

This morning I finally sorted out my Christmas presents when Jessica turned up to help me the bed was covered in gifts ready to be placed in bags which Jessica helped me with but I ran out of gift bags, so I will have to get some more bags on Friday.

I also discovered that I don't have a few gifts so will have to get them on Friday as well.

Now my table is covered in gifts for the family, I am sure Tim will have something to say about the table full of gifts. He does feel like I over do it, which is why I prefer to bag them up when he isn't here, so I don't have to listen to him complain.

What Christmas is usually like for me

As I expect most people if not all people would know Christmas in Australia comes at the start of Summer, it isn't uncommon to have stinking hot Christmas Days.

When I was a child we use to get up and open presents have ham on toast for breakfast, tin ham at that. We then loaded the car up with presents and head to my grandparents house which was only a 3 minute drive.

Christmas lunch was a traditional hot roast meal with turkey, pork, ham (not tinned) and lots of baked veggies followed by plum pudding with ice cream or custard, I don't eat plum pudding but often my nan would give me a a small piece of plum pudding that had a couple of sixpence in it.

Nowadays in my family we don't have a hot meal we do still have turkey, pork and ham (not tinned) with seafood and salads and we don't have plum pudding as the only ones who like it is my parents. We also have either a potato bake or baked potatoes because both me and my brother love baked potatoes.

We have never had a BBQ on Christmas Day and don't know of anyone who has, although I am sure that some people might do that.

In my family some years Jessica and Leo will spend Christmas Eve here with Tim and me and Santa will visit Leo here but I think this year they will be spending it with Kelli and Daemon because Jonathon has to work and Kelli doesn't want to be alone.

If it is just me and Tim here we get up when we wake up and the girls will usually pop over to exchange gifts and Tim and I will go to my parents place and Jessica and Leo will often have Christmas lunch with Kelli & Jonathon or maybe they will just go home and have a quiet afternoon alone. Kathy-Lee and her family usually have Christmas lunch at her home and will visit us and Michael's family during the day.

For many years after we stopped going to my grandparents for Christmas lunch we all went to my parents place but now our children are all grown and have children of their own that has changed and I get why it has changed but sometimes I miss the big Christmas Day lunches.

Christmas with the family or not so much

Have you ever celebrated Christmas or Thanksgiving is you celebrate Thanksgiving away from hearth, home, and family?

How did that feel?

I have never done spent a Christmas away from my family and all who know me would get that to do so would feel so wrong.

Hell the first year we didn't go to my grandparents for Christmas felt strange, but at least I was still with my parents and siblings and of course Tim and the girls.

As my daughters have grown into women and mothers themselves our Christmas Day celebrations have changed but I get that they have other people they may want to see and spend the day with is it disappointing yes it is.

Kathy tells me she doesn't feel like she fits in when she goes to her grandparents place but she also doesn't feel like she fits in when she goes to Michael's family. This does upset me but I don't say much is after all she is 32 so what can I say.

Jessica is the same she would rather spend the day with her cousin than with us.

Tim also has a habit of saying he doesn't fit in and is convinced that my siblings don't like him and maybe a couple don't but what do I care, I love him as does my parents.

It is upsetting when those I love so much and who mean so much to me would rather be with other people then with other people who I love and who mean so much to me.

Christmas traditions or not

Are your holidays steeped in tradition?

Or are you a see what happens on the day type of person?

Or maybe for you it is a bit of both.

As a child tradition played a big part in Christmas celebrations for me, and as a young mother also but the last few years things have changed my daughters are all mothers and like to do their own thing on Christmas Day.

Some years Jessica and Leo will spend Christmas Eve here so Santa can visit Leo as Jessica doesn't like to play Santa and fill Leo's Christmas sack, however, this year she has said she will be spending Christmas Eve at her cousins house because Kelli doesn't want to be alone on Christmas Eve, her partner Jonathon is working.

Kathy and Michael will be going to his brother and sister in-laws house for Christmas lunch this year, some times I get the impression that we are not good enough for Kathy & Michael his family are more upper class. Kathy says she doesn't feel like she fits in anywhere, this is something her father says as well.

I have no idea what Natasha and Blain are doing on Christmas Day, if Blain is with his mum we will see them but if he is with his dad and Kelli she may decide to spend the day with Steve and if that is the case we will not see her.

Christmas Cards

Let's talk about cards............Christmas card  in particular

Do you send them? Or not so much, or not at all.

Do you like to receive them? Or maybe you think they are a waste of time and just something else you need to toss in the bin.

Maybe you prefer Ecards that you can look at and forget about.

I am sure it comes as no surprise that I send Christmas cards and Ecards and I love receiving  them and have them displayed on my wall. They help decorate the house.

I don't remember when I started sending out Christmas cards been doing it for so long, my mum always sent out cards and I can remember as a child all the cards we received hanging in the lounge room.

Like my mum I also send cards to the my doctors surgery and my chemist, places I visit a bloody lot during the year. This habit she picked up from her mother.

Thank you messages

Today I am just going to share the few messages Mr Claus has received in the last week, the first one is from Michelle (Landon's mum)

Thank you Mrs Claus for my book and we all thank you for the card

Then I received this one from my niece Kirsty.

Hi Aunty Jo. Your 'baubles' and book arrived today. Thank you so so much! We read volume 1 every night, Kelsi absolutely loves it she will be so excited to read volume 2 tonight! I was just saying to Jacob you are like the nan of the grand kids, I know you are aunty but you are so thoughtful to all the grandkids! I really appreciate all the time effort and love you out into it all so thanks so much for being u! We love you lots from Queensland! Xx

Then last night I received this one from my sister Sandra

Hey sis huge thank you for my Xmas pressie the gift card and card Xmas card in mail today and Mrs gift for girls....love you sis wanted to hug n kiss u this morning but u not at brekkie.

Organised Me, maybe

The other day I asked how organised for the Christmas holidays you are and how organised I am.........

Well compared to some I am pretty organised, I start my Christmas shopping in January but really kick it up a gear around the middle of the year. I am always checking out clearance racks for a bargain and have a gift box under my bed that I store things in as I buy them during the year after Christmas it is pretty much empty by the middle of the year it is full and overflowing meaning it has spread to another box or two.

Around the middle of November I did out my Christmas tee shirts and Christmas jewellery and at the end of the November I spend a day or two writing my Christmas card. I get 10 personalised cards with photos of me and Tim for a few people and buy some special cards for my siblings and parents.

Also I am checking out Groupon for deals which is where I found the deal for the personalised story books for the very young members of the family, as well as other things.

So how organised do you think I sound?

Busy with Christmas stuff

Hello everyone, I am still alive and all been bloody busy with writing Christmas cards and yesterday I spent a few hours Christmas shopping, went out to get gifts for my parents and two of my daughters and sisters and of course my brother. I did manage to get some things but still have a lot more to do which I will try and do on Saturday, some people are so bloody hard to buy for so some gift cards will be bought.

After a number of hot days here yesterday was cooler and wetter, thankfully I managed to get my shopping done before it started to rain in fact it pissed down rain 5 minutes after I got home and I had to rush out and wind the windows up in the car as I had left them all down. The reason I was glad I got my shopping done before it rained was because out at Glendale it is open as in not under cover so could have got pretty wet if it rained then.

I also hired a motorised scooter to do the shopping which made it so much easier for me and allowed me to get around without being in a lot of pain.

Every morning for the last couple of weeks I have some Christmas cards to be posted, I get Leo to jump out of the car and post them for me. He also has taken things into my parents house for me when I have called around to drop things off.

Oh yeah yesterday when I was out shopping I picked up some Christmas decorations for Kathy-Lee and since I was only a couple of minutes from the day care centre that she works at I called around and dropped what I bought her off. Kathy-Lee said that I embarrassed her by calling in.

Over the weekend I started to decorate my house still have a few things to do but had to get some double sided tape to put the decorations up with.

This morning I am in light weight long pants as it is another cooler day and it is suppose to rain again today, I also have to go to the doctors after I take Leo to school, I need a script for my insulin.

I can tell you this morning it was a real effort to get out of bed, I am so bloody tied this morning and I just want to go back to bed but I have a little boy to get to school and a doctor to visit.